Winter Trees Art Project

California doesn’t have many evergreen trees, but in November and December, our stores are flooded with these beautiful conifers. This is a great lesson in drawing shapes, practicing cutting skills and having some messy fun with paint…

Kinders drew evergreen trees by using a black oil pastel and green 12″ x 18″ sulphite paper. We started by drawing a light triangle and then adding straight and squiggly lines for the bows. We colored the trees using various colors of green oil pastels. A smear of Mod-Podge provided the glue for our “snow”.

After we cut the trees out, we pasted them to our “Shaving Cream Art” paper. A quick splatter with watered-down white paint added a snowy feel.

Bravo Kinders!

9 Comments

My first-graders started a project based on this lesson today and I am documenting on my site. Thanks for the inspirations!

I recently discovered your website, your projects are great and give me lots of ideas for my lessons, thanks! For this lesson and other kinder ones I wonder if you help with cutting? My little ones and even my first graders can’t consistently cut well enough for their work look like these photos. I find myself helping them cut to avoid frustration and wonder if you do, too?

When I began teaching at my current school, I did an art lesson with my 2nd grade students that involved a lot of cutting. They really struggled with the cutting part and quite frankly, I was shocked. Since then, I made it a point to do a lot of cutting lessons in kinder and 1st grade. That is why so many of my projects in this age group require cutting.
I don’t help them. Sometimes the aids for my inclusion children help their students, but if they have even the smallest amount of ability, I make ’em do it!
I use the snapping turtle analogy to encourage their wee fingers to move the scissors back and forth. Smetimes I will hold their paper while they get the movements down. Find what works for you but try not to cut for them if that’s why you did the lesson. If cutting is an afterthought, like mounting, go ahead and cut away.
Hang tight, it’s an easy skill to master so they will catch on soon!

My two homeschoolers completed this project today! The shaving cream paper was a blast, messy but oh so fun for them! My kindergartner made awesome trees for his skill level. My second grader was more artful with her trees and they were beautiful! I read Once upon a northern night while they were coloring their trees. What a beautiful lullaby. We used a snowflake puncher to add white snowflakes on the trees and in the background. My kids asked me to read the story again at the end of our school day. We spent time admiring the artful details. We will be adding a white fence to our Snowman at night lesson next week!
Thanks for sharing all these amazing lessons and ideas!